The best wholesale promotional products are items your customers interact with on a regular basis, are inexpensive to ship, and have long-term advertising potential. A promotional product benefits its company the most when customers see it and are reminded of where they got it. In addition, the point of buying wholesale is to save money, and you can also save on shipping costs by purchasing lightweight products or taking advantage of free shipping deals. Lastly, the best wholesale promotional products have long-term advertising potential because the design lasts for the life of the item, or close to it.
Your best choice of product partially depends on how often you want the item to be seen and used. The best wholesale promotional products are something people interact with on a regular basis, if not every day, and will consider using as a replacement. For example, a comfortable and reliable ballpoint pen or even a toothbrush are items that must be replaced eventually. Laptop sleeves and water bottles can theoretically be used often, but most people do not use a sleeve rather than a case when carrying around an expensive machine or find themselves in need of a water bottle every day but do not already have one. In addition, you are more likely to find a good deal on common wholesale promotional products that have competition from other wholesalers.
To minimize shipping and handling costs, consider purchasing small or lightweight wholesale promotional products. The cost difference of purchasing 500 pencils versus 500 metal staplers is significant. In some cases, the wholesale company may offer free shipping if you place an order large enough, or let you pick the items up on-site. It is not always in your favor to take advantage of these deals, so calculate the cost differences.
The best wholesale promotional products have an advertising logo, business name, or phone number that cannot be rubbed or peeled off. Stickers in general are something to be avoided, because consumers might peel them off on purpose or they might fall off after months of abuse. The purpose of promotional products is continuous advertisement, but your customers may eventually forget where the item is from due to the lack of logo, name, or number. If the products will be handled often by customers, like a toothbrush or pencil, consider ordering a sample of the product to see how long its print lasts. Likewise, promotional apparel can be washed multiple times to see how well the design holds up.